PHOENIX - The Rockies thought the worst was over. The hazard lights were off, the radiator wasn't smoking. They were racing home Wednesday, only to be reminded that Baseball is less sympathetic than a speeding ticket.
After a Rockies' win the night before despite a plethora of errors, Jorge De La Rosa was the victim of a sputtering offense in a 2-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. "You hate to waste an effort like that," first baseman Todd Helton said.
It's troubling because there haven't been many like it. And there have been too many games when the airbags have deployed throughout the lineup. It's pointless to blame a single element for the Rockies' 2-6 road trip, a mark earned through flawed execution and abbreviated starting pitching.
But you can't win if you can't score, especially if ace Dan Haren is on the mound. The Rockies are batting .243 overall and averaged just 3.3 runs on the eight-game roadie. They went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position Wednesday.
"Hopefully, going home can be something that kick-starts us," shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. "I really thought our lineup was going to do some big things, and it hasn't happened."
One statistic eloquently explains, if not diagnoses, the problem. Only one hitter, Seth Smith, has more walks than strikeouts. Garrett Atkins and Todd Helton percolated against the D-backs, but Tulowitzki and Chris Iannetta remain cold.
There's no sense in reading too much into their work Wednesday against Haren, whom De La Rosa labeled "one of the best pitchers in Baseball," but they need to contribute.
"I thought I was close. And I still think I am not far off. But I am not getting any results, and it's tough to swallow," said Iannetta, who is batting .097. "I expect a lot more of myself, and my teammates expect a lot more out of me. It can't be fixed in the cage. I need to fix it in the game."
Finding solutions against Haren is never advisable. He's been the victim of a prank all season - his team had scored a total of one run in his previous three starts - but he never wavered Wednesday, feeding the Rockies a steady diet of sliders and splitters.
"Sometimes as a starting pitcher, if you don't win for a while, it seems impossible to get one," Haren said. "I am going to enjoy this."
Solace for the Rockies came from De La Rosa's effort. He pitched as though he were double-parked outside Chase Field, making quick work of Arizona through six innings. After redlining at 100 pitches, he was removed after striking out Stephen Drew with the bases loaded in the seventh. With the Rockies trailing 1-0, Jason Grilli subsequently walked Conor Jackson in a classic 10-pitch confrontation.
"It's tough. We had some bad at-bats today, but it's never hurt before to go home (to
Coors Field)," Helton said. "It seems like it's been forever. Now we need to play better Baseball for ourselves, regardless of the opponent."
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com ------------ End of the road
The Rockies finished their road trip with a 2-6 record.
National Baseball writer Troy E. Renck looks back:
Lowlights
Starters failed to pitch five innings four times, all losses.
Chris Iannetta and Troy Tulowitzki went a combined 6-for-44.
Team went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position Wednesday.
Highlights
Todd Helton hit his first home run and batted .290.
Ryan Spilborghs matched his career high with four hits Wednesday.
Manuel Corpas converted his first save since taking over as closer.
